Micropulse West is well known for its EDM capabilities, and it should be, with a number of GF AgieCharmilles EDM machines, including wire EDM and small hole. Their largest EDM machine is rated at 38 square inches per hour, with a 16” Z height and is fully submersible, and their small hole EDM is capable of cutting hole diameters from .011 to .118. But EDM is not what Micropulse is all about. Not at all.

The company’s business is split nearly evenly between CNC machining and EDM machining, General Manager Joe Tripi says. Micropulse West offers CNC machining and turning, CNC Gantry Router capabilities, waterjet cutting, and surface grinding. “There are not many companies in this area that offer such a comprehensive set of capabilities as we do”, Joe said.

The team at Micropulse West describes their business as serving a niche –they make the parts that nobody wants to make, including difficult parts with very tight tolerances that are needed very quickly. Most of Micropulse West’s work is in building prototypes -- they do very little production manufacturing.

The company has long served the medical industry,  manufacturing custom components for medical equipment, but has in the past year aggressively diversified its customer base, and it now includes aerospace, automotive, medical, solar, communications, retail, military and electronics. The company credits its success this past year, with net profits exceeding the past 3 years (yes, in 2009!), with its focus on diversification in industries and customers. This past year alone, Micropulse has manufactured parts for more than 50 different customers.

“We began contacting new companies earlier this year, when our largest customer cut its volumes in half literally overnight”, Joe said. “Interestingly, we were able to win a number of new customers because they weren’t pleased with their current supplier(s), and so they gave us an opportunity. With a nearly zero % defect record, and a laser focus on on-time delivery, the company was able to convert these new customers to regular customers. No one customer comprises a large share of Micropulse West’s business today.

The core staff members at Micropulse West are highly trained Journeymen, Joe says. 25% of all employees have been with the company for more than 5 years,  under two different owners. Tobias Biller, who runs the CNC machining department, is a tool and die maker with more than 30 years of experience, and Chad Carroll, manager of the EDM department, has 25 years of experience in the industry. Micropulse West doesn’t exclusively hire experienced machinists, though. Joe and the team firmly believe that you can train a mechanically inclined person to become a good machinist. “You can’t train work ethic, though”, Joe said. “We look for the unique trait of a strong work ethic and a good team attitude in our hires”, he elaborated.

Outstanding work ethic is evident at Micropulse West. Joe was hired by previous owner Kevin Brudi four years ago. Joe was Kevin’s customer at the time, and Joe was a salaried production manager, with responsibility for a team of nearly 100. Whenever Kevin came to visit this customer, however early or late, Joe was always at work. Kevin told Joe, “I need a guy with a work ethic like yours”, and Joe soon left his job to join  Micropulse. Today, Joe is the General Manager for Micropulse West. Kevin’s sister, Kelly Robertson, is the current owner of both Micropulse West, and Tucson based G&L Enterprises, an ISO9001:2008 certified precision machine shop.

Joe isn’t the only Micropulse West employee with a strong work ethic. The company runs 24x5, and overtime is the norm. The team concept means that each employee is responsible for products in their area of expertise, much like a defensive end specializes in his particular skill in the game of football. Employees take pride in their work, much like it was their own company. Noel Money, office manager for the past 5 years, is described by Joe as the best office manager he has ever worked with. “She is as likely to handle shipping as managing our books and meeting with our CPA, and she is fantastic in dealing with our customers”, he elaborated.

In a time when most machine shops curtailed spending, Micropulse West invested nearly a quarter of a million dollars in new capital equipment this past year alone. They upgraded their CAD programming  software for their CNC and EDM machines. They also recently added a GF AgieCharmilles 440CCS EDM machine, which they describe as the “latest and greatest wire EDM machine, likely offering the fastest wire EDM machining in the valley”. Micropulse West remains loyal to the GF AgieCharmilles line and to Arizona dealer Adams Machinery. “Ken Goodman at Adams does a great job”, Joe said, “and the GF AgieCharmilles are superior machines. We have GF AgieCharmilles that we purchased in the 1980s that are in service today and still hold their extremely tight tolerances”.

What are the goals for Micropulse West? 

The company wants to increase its value-added for its customers by providing a complete systems engineering division. .Joe says, “We are considering building out the upstairs of our building with 5000 square foot of offices, and we would bring on engineers from a variety of disciplines, including mechanical and electrical, to support customers from design to build. The end result for our customers will be a complete solution simplified with one supplier and one purchase order.  “This is our goal”, Joe said, “and something we are currently investigating”.
For more information on Micropulse West, call 480-966-2300 or go to www.micropulsewest.com. For information on Tucson, Arizona based G&L Enterprises, call 520-292-9504 or visit their website at www.glenterprises.com.

“We recommend Micropulse West to people on a regular basis, and we’ve been doing business with them for more than 8 years now. They do both EDM and CNC machining on a variety of parts for our customers, including low volume precision machined components in steel, aluminum and plastic. Micropulse West’s quality is well above average, their delivery is excellent and their lead times are always good. Additionally, we find Micropulse’s pricing to be very competitive.
Micropulse West differentiates itself from other shops with their superior pricing and delivery on the lower volume orders. Most other suppliers do not like orders of 1 to 10 piece lot sizes, while Micropulse thrives on that type of work.”

Phil, Manufacturing Representative

“I’ve worked with Micropulse West for two years. The components they make for me are for automation and ergonomics for the medical device industry. I use them for their CNC and EDM capabilities. Their quality, delivery, and pricing is unmatched they are always ready to go the extra mile to ensure that my customers and I are happy.
 
I sometimes use other suppliers but I’m never as satisfied with the overall experience. I think what makes the difference between Micropulse West and the rest is their customer service from the front office to the shop. Everyone is very professional and their experience shines through in the quality parts that they supply. I look forward to working with Micropulse West on a day to day basis and always recommend them to anyone who needs machine work done.”

Adam, Medical Device Manufacturer

“Micropulse has always worked hard to meet our job objectives whether it requires unusual materials, help with the design, quick turn small orders, and expediting the order when needed. 

They’re particularly good at wire EDM work, having lots of capacity and talent in that arena.  They easily fabricate parts with very tight tolerances we require for our RF packaging performance. We particularly like the attention we receive from the Micropulse technicians when we bring in design concepts; they take time to sit and talk about the approach to the parts and determine what requirements are most important to us, freely offering design/fabrication improvements that save time and money!  Anything not meeting expectations has been correctly promptly and without complaint.  That’s why we keep going back.”

Dave, Mechanical Designer, Advanced Microwave Products

“Micropulse West does an awesome job for us. They make parts for our laser bonding machines, crimp stents and heart catheter machines.
I continue to swamp them with orders and unrealistic deadlines. They meet these deadlines, their parts are always good and their pricing is very competitive. They are just outstanding!”

Mark, Purchasing Manager, Medical Device Manufacturer